Hi Everyone!Finally, I get to use my Revlon Lip Butters that were waiting ever so patiently under the tree for me! My boyfriend had wrapped each one like candy so it wasn't too hard to figure out what was inside :-)

With flash

So, final verdict? I love these guys! I feel that this product lived up to the hype. I thought they would be more like lip tints, but as you can see from the swatches, these lip butters are incredibly pigmented. I mean, just look at Raspberry Pie! It's so vivid and intense after just one swipe! If I had to choose a family they belong to, I would have to say "lipstick" because of the pigmentation. Some colours like Creme Brulee and Cotton Candy are more sheer and are more reminiscent of a tint, but each one applies like a dream and feels so smooth on my lips. The only thing that I don't like about them has to do with the packaging...I have a really hard time opening them! I feel like I'm always sort of surprised when the cap finally pops off! It's fairly minor in comparison with the actual contents so I'm just going to forget about it and say I LOVE REVLON LIP BUTTERS!

I was getting a little tired of seeing so much red on my nails so I finally decided to try out China's Glaze Tinsel Town and as usual, I am impressed with the amount of glitter on my nails with only two coats! Sorry, that it's a little blurry. I always have to take my pics indoors since I'm never home during the day.

I know a lot of other people are just as in love with CG's glitters as much as I am so what are your favourites? Hope everyone is having a great day!

Happy Boxing Day everyone!I myself am about to head out to Future Shop to pick up an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer so I'm hoping it won't be too crazy and that there will still be some left! I'm actually just about to get on a plane, but I figured a quick review couldn't hurt, right? One of the things I'd asked for was the new Baby Lips lip balm from Maybelline because I'd heard some good things about the line and it looked like a lip balm that would be fairly hydrating. It has an SPF of 20 and boasts "8hr hydration and lip renewal". I received one in Peppermint which is one of the two in the line that is clear and does not have a tint. It comes in a cute, chubby barrel and has graffiti-style writing on the cap. The other lip balms come in equally fun packaging colours which makes finding it in my purse a lot easier!

As I'd hoped, Baby Lips goes on very smoothly, smells refreshing and hydrates...but not for 8 hours...I don't live in a particularly dry climate, but I definitely had to reapply after 2 -3 hours. I hadn't had a meal either and was just doing some cleaning up around the apartment. Maybe I'm too picky on what "hydration" actually means because if it means that my lips aren't chapped and flaky then sure, this stuff probably DOES last 8 hours! I guess I'm one of those people that likes to actually feel some lip balm on my lips. I'm so used to having something on them, that when my lip balm starts to wear off it really bothers me and I reapply right away. Overall, still a product I'd use, I'd love to try the other lip balms with the tints in the future and for now it's in my purse on its way to Montreal as we speak!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas Day! This is We have a little tree because we don't have a lot of space in the apartment, but this is what was waiting under the tree!

I have to admit that most of these items I chose on my own and told me bf to get, but nonetheless, the excitement is still there! I'll do some swatches and reviews over the next little while. I'll be away over the next two weeks in Montreal visiting my bf's family so it probably won't be until 2012. Have a great day everyone!

Hellooo!Today my Luxe Box unexpectedly arrived much like my Glymm Box and I have to say that after reading such negative comments on the Loose Button FB page I was really rooting for them because I felt some of the comments were just downright rude and incredibly greedy-sounding and juvenile. One person even complained about how difficult it was to "unwrap her chocolate-covered coin"! I mean, seriously?! If I were in Loose Button customer service I would lose it. Anyway, onward to the part everyone cares about, the unboxing!

Perfumes out of the packages

The items I received were:Moroccanoil - Luminous Hairspray (Full size 300mL for $24) Moroccanoil - Moisture Repair Shampoo and Conditioner (Full size 240mL for $22 and $21 respectively) Paco Rabanne Perfume in Lady Million (Ladies) and 1 Million (Mens) (Full size 50mL for $80 and $58 respectively) Yves Rocher - 24H Vitality Anti-Fatigue Skin Care (Full size 50mL for $52)NYX - Slim Eye Pencil (Full size 1g for $4) Moroccanoil Hairspray- 75mL = $6Moroccanoil Shampoo and Conditioner - 240mL = $6.42 + $6.13 = $12.55Paco Rabanne - 1.2mL = $1.92 + $1.39 = $3.31Yves Rocher - 15mL = $15.60NYX - $4 (Full size given!)Total Value of Luxe Box = $41.46So, I'm supposed to say I loved it right? You know what, the expired Moroccanoil debacle didn't make me THAT mad because it's not like it was going to harm me in any way. It's not like with food or medication where expiry dates DO matter because you can either get sick or the efficacy of medicinal ingredients decreases. And, it was a styling cream to be used on hair which is dead anyway so getting the hairspray and shampoo and conditioner set was more than a welcome surprise. All three samples were very good sizes, not like the shampoo samples that come in those plastic "rip" packets which are 2 uses at the most and so hard to open in the shower with wet hands!!The Paco Rabanne perfume was one that I was curious about as other Luxers received it last month. I sprayed the male version on my boyfriend and to me it smelled musky, but in a more fruity way. He said it wasn't really for him though...he's used to something more manly. As for sample size, yes, these samples were half-filled (optimist!) like the Nina Ricci samples other Luxers received, but how is that Loose Button's fault? My perfumes were in a sealed package which probably means Loose Button weren't the ones filling the perfume vials... This was another rampant complaint about this month's box which I found to be a bit petty...The NYX eye pencil, well, it's not the best one out there that's for sure. It doesn't glide on very easily and I do find that it's the type of pencil that tends to tug a little at your eyelid. There are other NYX eye pencils that do a much better job, but a basic black eyeliner will always come in handy.I'm actually an active user of the Yves Rocher anti-fatigue line and I already own the full size version of the sample provided which I had to order online and pay shipping for so an extra tube is more than welcome. Yves Rocher things often go on sale and once you order from them, they ALWAYS give you perks so you never have to pay the full retail price.All in all, I was actually happy with my Luxe Box. I too also expected the Morrocanoil samples to be in addition to my actual Luxe Box, but I'm not going to complain about it now. I'm pleased with everything as is and although the last 2 months of Luxe Boxes were better, I'm still going to say thank you and stick to my subscription!

Hi everyone!I was actually really surprised to see my Glymm box arrive because it wasn't due to arrive until this Thursday, but I know Canada Post hasn't really been updating their site because of how busy they've been. I sincerely hope that everyone else who is still waiting for their Glymm box will receive theirs unexpectedly like I did. At this point, I guess I could have waited until Christmas Day to open it, but the suspense was just killing me! Anyway, onward to the unboxing!

Swatch of Sula lip gloss I received in "Come Find Me"

I love mini perfume bottles!

The items I received were:Caudalie - Vinoperfect Enzymatic Peel Mask (Full size 40mL for $40)Ahava - Mineral Hand Cream (Full size 3.4oz for $20)Yves Saint Laurent perfume in La Parisienne (Full size 3oz for $85)Sula Beauty - Natural Lip Gloss in "Come Find Me" (Full size 0.5ml for $8)Glymm $10 couponUpon first sniff, I quite like the scent of the YSL perfume even though I am normally more of a fruity or citrus scent lover. As you can see, the swatch of the Sula lip gloss is pretty much a nude, flesh colour which at first glance I thought would have been too light on me, but as it turns out, it's just fine! It does have sort of a "chemically" smell to it which is probably the "naturalness" of the lip gloss coming out...I hope!I thought adding up the cost of the box was sort of a neat thing to do that other reviewers have done, so I shall do the same:Caudalie - 3mL = $3Ahava - 0.68oz = $4YSL - 0.25oz = $7.08Sula Beauty - $8 (Full size given!)Total Value of Glymm Box = $22.08 To be honest, I wasn't completely wowed by this box, but then again, I have never tried ANY of the products in this box which is the whole idea of getting samples! I understand that I won't be head over heels for each and every single Glymm box, but I am still pleased with all the products I have received and can't wait to try them out!

Happy Monday Everyone!Today I bring to you a mascara that has a fairly good punch of colour, that's a lot more affordable than a Dior mascara, which has so far been the only other coloured mascara that even shows up on my lashes. This is Ben Nye's Royal Purple Mascara which I picked up at IMATS this past summer for around $8. From what I've seen, the pricing online is fairly similar.

I've purchased plenty of coloured mascaras only to find that they just never show up on my dark lashes and while I loved the Dior mascara, $28 for a mascara I don't use every day is something I couldn't justify. I have to admit that although I do love the colour, when I'm in more ambient light, it looks like I'm just wearing normal black mascara. It's only when I'm outside or in fluorescent lighting that the purple is quite obvious. One thing I really like is that the formula is quite "moist" and free of clumps and hasn't shown any signs of drying out like what I have experienced with other mascara formulas. I should also add that for me, this mascara is solely used for colour and not for lengthening or volumizing. I usually use my Lancome Doll Lashes mascara first, followed by Royal Purple.

I actually wear coloured mascara about once a week with brown or purple eyeshadow. It just makes things more interesting especially in a work environment that's fairly business-like. It's like a small way of rebelling in addition to the fun nails ;-) I haven't gotten any complaints so I guess as long as the rest of me is work appropriate, I'm in the clear! Has anyone else tried any other Ben Nye products?

Hello Girls (and guys??)!As predicted, Christmas specials have drastically slowed down my progress with Project 10 Pan...sigh...but I did still want to share with you my progress one month later. I am closest to finishing my Cake Body and Hairspray, Clinique lipstick and Dior lip gloss, but everything else is probably going to be another month or so. I just saw the bottom of the pan of my Benefit foundation today so yayy! I've also discovered that I HATE my Yves Rocher glitter mascara. It looks like there is glittery dandruff on my lashes and I can't stand it!! Instead of trying to "pan" it, I think I'll "can" it instead.

The lipstick is probably taking longer than it should because I use a lip brush to apply lipstick which really makes it last quite awhile since you're using every last bit of product. Well, after one month, these two are all I have to show for my efforts! I know for a fact that I have six new Revlon lip butters waiting for me under the tree so I think I will be on Project 10 Pan for pretty much all of 2012! Just wanted to post an update and for anyone else who's doing this, I hope you're doing better than I am!

This is the third time I have changed my nail colour this week, which is an indication of how studying for my final is affecting me. I've been so restless and panicked that I feel like my nail polish colour is the ONLY thing I can really control. Boy, does it ever feel good though to neatly paint a nail...it just calms me right down...could be the fumes too, but the action in itself is quite satisfying.

Anyway, the colour I have for you is my very first Zoya polish and it caught my eye because from what I've seen, Zoya does an amazing opaque glittery polish. The colour I picked out is called Gloria and went on beautifully. I just have on 2 coats and a coat of Seche Vite and the formula was just so smooth! Gloria also looks like it has a gold-like shimmer to it in addition to the red which just seemed to bring in more warmth to the colour. It's so pretty that I didn't want to add any nail art...for now...

Hello! So, Forever 21 had a 30% off beauty and accessories sale last week and I grabbed a few of the Love and Beauty nail polishes which I've been pleasantly surprised with for the price. With the 30% off, each bottle ended up being $2.66 so I had to really whittle down the 20 or so nail polishes I had in my shopping cart! It's getting hard now to remember what colours I already own and I really hate finding that I have dupes in my collection...

I am most excited about trying out the jade and glitter polishes! I've been looking for a really good turquoise/green so this looks like it might be the one! If you haven't had a chance to try Forever 21's nail polishes, I'd totally recommend it because I've had nothing but a positive experience with them. Anyway, just thought I'd share and I just love how cute they all look lined up like little soldiers ;-)

Awwww! I'm so excited about these! Thank you to Nail Noise for the awards and I really appreciate the thought! Seeing you and Ashesela's nails on RedditLaqueristas really made nail art a lot more fun! I love the nail art/beauty community and I always look forward to seeing what designs you come up with!I guess I now need to tell you all seven things about myself and based on the history of the Versatile Blogger Badge, tag either 5 or 15 other wonderful bloggers!1. I am 28 years old, but I'd like to stay around the age of 25 ;-)2. I am a classically trained violinist and I have been playing since I was nine-years old. You can always tell when I haven't been playing by the length of my nails since you have to keep them really short in order to place them nicely on the strings. 3. I only started painting my nails this past May when I had my acrylics taken off to play for a wedding and discovered that I LOVED nail polish! 4. I have two cats: Yoshi and Snow. Yoshi is 13 years old and is a Maine Coone and Snow is 15 years old and is a Persian. Both were adopted from people that couldn't care for them anymore :(5. I have been going to university for 10 years and I am writing my last and 66th final exam next Monday. I have a BSc in Cell Biology and Genetics and I went back to pair it off with a degree in Computer Science to get into the field of Bioinformatics. 6. I am a huge Trekkie and I own complete DVD sets for Voyager and The Next Generation. I often watch Star Trek when I am sick with a bowl of chicken soup.7. I suffer from motion sickness which collides with my love of video games. I can usually last about 30 minutes before I feel like puking. I usually have to take something beforehand if I want to play for longer. Now, for five other blog tags that I don't think have been tagged yet... Embellishments BeautyBlue Tale and Nail TipsEmerald SparkledCopy That, Copy CatNailside

Obviously, you don't have to continue the tag if you don't want to, but know that I look forward to reading your blogs all the time and I enjoy seeing what inspires you!

An awesome friend of mine found these shoes on Modcloth and the moment I saw them, I knew I had to have them! I love the way the tail wraps around the side of the shoe! My boyfriend told me that I shouldn't wear them to work since they weren't exactly "business-wear", but as it turns out, people like cats and they were a hit even with older clients!

Now I just need some mice shoes...I know those exist...anyway, just had to share!

Hello everyone! I have been waiting since the beginning of November to get my hands on a Topbox and I'm lucky I ordered when I did because it looks like if you subscribe now your FIRST Topbox will be in May?! Crazy, right? Good for Topbox! One thing that I was so pleased with was the early West Coast shipping! I think subscribers in Eastern Canada received their Topboxes this past Friday, which sort of ruined the surprise for me when I looked at the Topbox Facebook page, but that's ok, seeing the tube on my shipping desk this morning still put a smile on my face! Anyway, onward to the...un..tubing?

Pretty paper-covered tube which I'm sure I will use for makeup brushes ;-) Also a nice way for Topbox to set themselves apart from the two other subscription sample companies.

Ooooh, goodies!

One card with bonus Shoppers Optimum points if you buy a Cover FX primer and the other with information about the products inside.

This is probably the highlight of the bunch as it is a FULL SIZE Cargo product in the colour "Big Sur" and features "TimeStrip Technology". The scientist in me finds "beauty science" so amusing, but sure, it's cool and makes a classic lipgloss a little more interesting.

Slide the little card into a slit into the cap. This breaks the seal inside. Based on the card, this lipgloss is good for 9 months.

And the countdown begins!

A berry-coloured gloss with little gold sparkles inside.

To be honest, I was hoping for the "Bella Pella" soap that other people received because that would have been one more full size product...I am heading out to Montreal for the New Year so I guess I'll just have drop by the Bella Pella store and buy the soaps there! I appreciated the fact that the colour of the lipgloss was chosen to compliment my beauty profile and actually feels smooth and silky on my lips. I also love the fact this Cargo lipgloss is paraben-free! I would have thought there would be more of a "holiday factor" with this box like glitter or something special, but overall, I am happy with my first Topbox as the full size Cargo lipgloss made this box (tube?) worth it and I look forward to trying the other samples given for this month! Thanks Topbox! Merry Christmas!